


gesundheitan

by tanyart



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-16
Updated: 2013-05-16
Packaged: 2017-12-12 01:32:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/805586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tanyart/pseuds/tanyart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some of the kids in the 104th have some pretty weird sneezes. (Spoilers up to chapter 42.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	gesundheitan

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the kinkmeme.  
>  **Prompt:** There is no way to tell titan shifters apart from humans while in their human form- except for one weird quirk shared by all titan shifters.

**.one.**  
  
“Holy shit,” Jean blurted out after the stunned silence had run its course. “That was  _adorable_.”  
  
Mikasa and Armin had never said a thing about it before, but Eren figured it was because he had never actually been sick with the cold until he started military training.  
  
But before he could say anything or even try to defend himself, he sneezed again, and everyone in the barracks leaned closer to hear it.  
  
“Like a mouse,” Connie concluded while throwing another warm blanket over Eren. “The tiniest mouse. The squeakiest mouse.”  
  
Eren scowled, feeling his ears heat up with embarrassment. He glanced at Armin for  _some_  kind of validation of his manhood, but his friend only shrugged and looked abashed.  
  
“It’s kind of cute,” Armin said unhelpfully. He handed Eren a bowl of soup that Sasha had managed to pass along from the kitchens. No one bothered to ask how she got it. “Maybe you ought to rest up so Jean can stop making weird comments every time you sneeze.”  
  
“That is the smartest thing I’ve heard so…  _ah_ -!”  
  
From the other side of the room, Jean heaved a disgusted sigh and threw his arms up.   
  
“Ugh, it’s like a butterfly tiptoeing on a flower!” he yelled, and stormed out of the barracks to start the training day.  
  
  
 **.two.**  
  
It was one thing for a sick Eren to occasionally emit a sound that would send half the training legion cooing at his expense – it was quite another for Reiner to make the same muffled squeak as he was tossed to the ground by Mikasa.  
  
“Oh, just like Eren,” she said, her normally reserved tone surprised. She held out her hand for him to take as the combat instructor walked by with an approving nod.  
  
Reiner covered his nose and mouth as the dust settled around him, but that wasn’t enough to stop the chain of small, repetitive sneezes that took over, each one managing to be softer than the last until he was just sitting in the dirt, shoulders hunched up with his burning face hidden in his hands.   
  
“I won’t tell anyone,” she promised after a moment had gone by and he still hadn’t moved, possibly paralyzed from pure mortification and shame rather than any injury he might have sustained from being thrown over her shoulder.   
  
Reiner stared up at her, still panting from their sparring match and his sneezing fit. He never thought Mikasa the type to be easily charmed, but she had an odd expression – a kind of upward quirk to one corner of her mouth. Shaking his head, he grinned and took her offered hand.  
  
“Thanks. I owe you.”  
  
  
 **.three.**  
  
Eren’s illness came and went without further incident, other than the nights Mikasa would sneak into the boy’s barracks to check up on him. Their fellow peers were always willing to turn a blind eye from the discretion, and in the end she was never caught. Or perhaps no one particularly wanted to catch her, which was understandable for everyone.  
  
A few days had passed since Eren was able to rejoin the group in full health, but by the time of his recovery, everyone’s hearing had a honed in on any kind of soft, squeaky sigh he happened to make.  
  
“Damn it, Eren,” Jean shouted, who was seated three tables away in the mess hall. “What did I tell you about your stupid baby sneezes? Cut it out!”  
  
Eren rose from his chair. “What the hell? That wasn’t me! And even if it was, what’s so stupid about my sneezes?”  
  
“They’re so fucking  _delightful_. It’s disgusting!”  
  
“You’re not making any sense, you asshole!”  
  
It had been a while since Jean and Eren had a physical fight. Not even Mikasa rose up to stop them right away, only watching with a wary eye as Eren threw the first punch.  
  
Reiner sighed. If Mikasa wasn’t going to stop it soon then the responsibility of breaking the boys up would fall to him. He let go of the nose he had been pinching.  
  
“You alright there, Annie?” he asked.  
  
Annie glared at him, rubbing her nose, but Eren and Jean were making enough of a racket for her to accept the handkerchief Bertholdt held out for her without anyone else noticing.   
  
“I’m fine,” she said, barely audible over the din. “Thanks.”   
  
  
 **.four.**  
  
“Of course Christa would sneeze like that,” Connie said, shrugging. “It actually suits her.”  
  
They were all in the training forest, taking a quick break from their 3D maneuver gear exercise. This time the sneeze had been heard while Eren was talking with Armin, so it was, much to Jean’s relief, very much impossible for Eren to have been the culprit.   
  
“Um,” Christa said, and for once Ymir didn’t come to her defense – or tease her, for that matter.  
  
“It’s fine if Christa does it,” Jean said while Eren rolled his eyes.   
  
“Do it again, Christa?” Mina asked hopefully. “I missed it.”  
  
“Uh,” was the only reply Christa could come up with. Meanwhile, she could feel Ymir press closer behind her, the grip over her shoulder tightening.  
  
Everyone looked at her expectantly, and Christa felt her cheeks flush.  
  
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can sneeze on command,” she said.  
  
Sasha blinked, sheathing her blades back into their holders. She opened the front flap of her jacket and pulled out a tiny jar, the label obscured by her fingers.  
  
“Here, I’ll help,” she said, opening the jar and gently blowing over the top and straight into Christa’s face.  
  
The powder inside was bright red, much to Christa’s alarm. She tried to turn away, but Ymir had been standing behind her, effectively blocking a quick escape route. The smell of strong pepper filled her nose and it felt like she must have inhaled the entire cloud.  
  
“Ah-“ she began, nose wrinkling, and sneezed.  
  
Birds squawked, mountains shifted, the branches shook. It  _echoed_.  
  
Reiner, who had chosen to rest in one of the trees, dropped down. There was a quick hiss of wires and the sound of his gas tank going off as he caught himself from falling all the way to the ground. He dangled above them, looking startled and confused.  
  
“Is everyone all right? Did a cannon go off?”  
  
Christa gave a tiny moan and covered her face.  
  
Ymir suddenly jerked beside her, hand leaving Christa’s shoulder to come in front of her mouth as she caught the after effects of the red pepper powder Sasha had blown.  
  
“- _chu_ ,” sneezed Ymir, very softly and very tiny.  
  
Everyone stared.  
  
“I don’t know which is more surprising,” Mina said.  
  
Everyone agreed.  
  
  
 **.five.**  
  
Eren gripped Bertholdt’s shoulders, shaking the taller boy excitedly.  
  
“See?” he said, triumphant. He turned to Jean. “It’s not weird!”  
  
Jean did not look up from his book. “No. It’s weird. You both are weird. All of you. You, and Ymir, and Bertholdt, and Reiner. And stop shaking Bertholdt, Eren. You’re terrifying him.”  
  
Eren did let go, but crashed right into Reiner, who shot up from his bed, blankets flying off.   
  
“Who told?” the older boy hissed. “ _Mikasa_.”  
  
“What? Why would she…” Jean began, but shook his head. “It wasn’t her, Reiner.”  
  
“You sometimes sneeze in your sleep,” Armin admitted while Eren burst into more victorious laughter.   
  
Reiner fell back into his bed, grumbling and dragging down Bertholdt with him.  
  
“Our secret’s out,” he whispered into Bertholdt’s ear before he turned away to wrestle Eren down as well.  
  
Bertholdt snorted, and hid his smile behind his book.


End file.
